Wednesday, 30 October 2013

This rich, warming soup is perfect for an autumn night. Nutty roasted pumpkin and glorious melting cheese come together for the perfect supper to snuggle up with and keep the spooks at bay!

Ingredients

Serves 6

Soup

1 small pumpkin (1.3 – 1.6kg)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

850ml vegetable stock

425ml whole milk

25g butter

Salt, pepper and ground nutmeg, to season

Croutons

2 thick slices crusty white bread

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

To serve

100g melting cheese, such as gruyere or mozzarella, grated

Method

Preheat oven to 240 °C. Start by cutting the pumpkin into
quarters, scoop out the seeds, then cut each quarter in half. Brush the surface
of each section with the oil and season with a liberal sprinkling of salt and
pepper. Pop into the oven to roast for 30-35 minutes, or until the flesh is
soft when tested with a skewer.

While the pumpkin is roasting, melt the butter in a large
saucepan over a high heat, add the onion and stir. After 5 minutes, turn the
heat down low and leave the onion to cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring
occasionally.

Once the pumpkin is cooked, remove from the oven and set
aside to cool. Add the stock and the milk to the onion and turn the heat up to
medium. Once the mixture is simmering, scoop out the pumpkin flesh and add to
the pan along with the seasoning of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn the heat down
to low and leave to gently simmer for a further 20 minutes.

This is the perfect time to make the croutons. Preheat the
oven to 180°C. Cut the bread into cubes and toss in a bowl with the oil and
salt and pepper seasoning, making sure each crouton gets an even coating. Place
onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, until they are light and crispy.

Next, puree the soup using a hand blender or food processor
and whizz until smooth. Season to taste, and when you’re ready to serve, slowly
reheat the soup over a medium heat – keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t
boil as this would compromise the taste. Ladle into warm bowls, top with a
handful of croutons and a generous scattering of cheese.

Wednesday, 23 October 2013

Currently working his way through a string of tour dates, Nottingham-born teenage rocker Jake Bugg has also unveiled his latest Rick Rubin produced track called ‘Slumville Sunrise’.

Taken from the singer’s forthcoming second album, which is due for release on November 18th – Bugg’s latest offering picks up where first taster ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ left off.

To its merit ‘Slumville Sunrise’ is filled with razor-sharp riffs and mind-warping guitar solos. The track serves as another reminder of Bugg’s incredible abilities for such a young age, leaving listeners longing for his second album to be released sooner than later.By Lauren Wade

She is well-known for her gorgeous watercolours, which have
often depicted each season’s hottest trends and she’s put her skills to good
use by creating illustrations of the literary world’s fifty most famous female
characters.

The book includes the likes of The Great Gatsby’s Daisy
Buchanan, Anna Karenina, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist's Nancy and the character behind Audrey Hepburn’s most famous
role, Holly Golightly, each quoting a famous line from their respective novels.

Who’d have thought we’d be so jealous of illustrated clothing worn by fictional
characters? We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy!

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Now that the weather is turning colder (and the rain keeps falling) we want nothing more than to curl up in the evenings under a blanket, with a glass of (mulled) wine and some comfort food. So we've decided to revisit one our favourite Meatball Winter Warmer recipe to warm you up...

Ingredients

Makes 2

150/200g minced beef

1 tsp oregano

Healthy sprinkling of paprika

Healthy sprinkling of dry coriander leaves

Pinch of ground pepper

Pinch of salt

1 slice granary bread

1 egg yolk

1 ball of mozzerella

Knob of garlic butter

100g chopped tomatoes

Mixed dry herbs

2 multi-seeded rolls

Method

-Make the breadcrumbs for the meatball by taking the slice of granary bread and rub it together so that crumbs form, make sure you have a mixing bowl to catch the falling crumbs

-Cut two generous cubes from the ball of mozzarella ready to put inside the meatballs

Thursday, 10 October 2013

Remnant of musicians who have gone before them, Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards are the Californian natives completing the line-up that is Deap Vally. As a female-fronted thrash rock duo who cites Thelma & Louise as their influences, you may be under the impression that these chicks deviate from your average rockers; you’re spot on.

Band interests have been listed as ‘knitting and crocheting’ although we can confirm things are never this tame on stage, as seen across a number of summer festivals. One track that stands out and packs more of a punch than the rest is ‘Baby I Call Hell’ a statement of intent of sorts for what to expect.

Guitars whirl, drums crash and the instrumentation is paced to a degree that will have you vibing hard in no time. No hints are given to where they’re headed next but one thing’s set in stone; it will undoubtedly be badass.

Thursday, 3 October 2013

For the next instalment of our Meet the Blogger series we grill Edita from Pret-A-Reporter.

Read on to find out more about the girl behind the blog...

Ok, first up who is 'Pret-A-Reporter' for those that don't already know?

It's just a little style diary of mine. I love styling clothes, mixing textures and combining looks with jewellery - so I thought it would be great to document it! I've had such an amazing response to my blog and am very very proud that I could inspire others to be more daring with their style choices.

How long have you been blogging, and what made you want start it in the first place?

It's my second year running - I am a bit of a rookie compared to those who have been doing it for much longer. I used get comments from people saying that I simply HAD to try blogging, so eventually I gave in and started one.

A chameleon. I can embrace one style one day and do something completely different the next.

What three items can you not live without?

Hair spray, mascara and my Macbook.

What do you get up to when you're not blogging?

I love doing blog-related projects. I have recently collaborated with Models of Diversity who gave me a platform to bring a vision I had to life - to have bloggers of different ethnicities, shapes, sizes and abilities on the runway. We named it CATWALK4CHANGE. I oversaw the blogger catwalk project from A-Z. It was indeed an experience of a lifetime. As a result Jo Wood was posing next to a press board with my blog's logo on it - WOW!

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

When it comes to breaking boundaries; Peace are no strangers, which is exactly what they’ve done on their latest release, a cover of Disclosure’s ‘White Noise’. Originally recorded as part of a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge back in June, Peace’s take on the chart anthem went down a storm at Reading & Leeds Festival in August – as a treat for fans it’s now available on their Soundcloud account.

B-Town’s finest incorporated rip-roaring guitars and subtle, seductive vocals from Harry Koisser, leading listeners to the revelation that their version is far superior to Disclosure’s original cut.

Peace certainly have a natural talent for rescuing floundering sub-standard chart tunes and rustling up unstoppable forces beyond their reckoning. The only question that lingers is: What’s next?By Lauren Wade

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Whether we like it or not, it appears that summer is well and truly over (did it ever begin?). And as much hope as we’re all holding out for one last glorious Indian summer weekend, we might have to start accepting the inevitable. Apart from the excuse to give your wardrobe a winter overhaul, the only other excuse to look forward to colder weather is the food.

Say goodbye to salads and an enthusiastic hello to stews, soups and dumplings! Before you know it, it’ll be mince pie time. But before we get too ahead of ourselves (mulled wine anyone?) here’s a quick and scrummy recipe for something that will warm your winter-dreading cockles:

Serves 4

6 sausages

2 onions

2 cloves of garlic

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of butter beans

3 bay leaves

Splash of red wine and Worchester sauce

Olive oil

Method

- Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan and soften the onions and garlic. Turn the heat up slightly and then add the sausages, letting them brown all over.

- Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, red wine and Worchester sauce to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the butter beans.

- Cook for another 20 minutes (or for as longer if you need to paint your nails, chat on the phone, doll yourself up for a dinner date... Just don’t let the sauce cook dry).